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Amuse-Bouches [Links I Love]: August 25 – September 12

Here’s the latest list of stuff I found interesting on the interwebz, August 25 through September 12:

Pro-USA Rally in BenghaziThe news of Libya Ambassador Christopher Stephens' death was so tragic, and yet it was tinged with the fear of what would happen next. I dearly hope the reactionary people in the US who think (wrongly) that this is yet another example of why Islam is bad see this side of Libya, too. These pictures are beautiful and heartbreaking. If you can't see how deeply hurt these Libyans are by what a tiny group of thugs did in their country – TO their country – then you're blind.

(via @c_bright & @agiamba on Twitter)

Competing with AstronautsIn which my friend Pam reminds us travel bloggers that "our presence is not enough. We’re not Shackleton or Armstrong, so we need to work a lot harder to make our readers care." Beautiful essay on writing, on going beyond what's expected, and – yes – on Neil Armstrong, too.

Venice on Silence And Three Euro a DayI write (and talk) about Venice often, partly because although it's one of my favorite places on earth, I still struggle with describing it accurately and completely. So when I read well-written essays about Venice, even if they only capture one element of the city, I rejoice in having found yet another aspect to add to the pantheon of descriptive phrases I already use.

This is one of those essays.

(via @lonlygrllauren on Twitter)

Colorful pigeons amongst a flock of grey at the Venice BiennaleOkay, aside from the fact that I'm uncomfortable with what seems like potential mistreatment of animals here, the saying "lipstick on a pig" comes to mind, too. Sure, the bursts of color would liven up a flock of gray birds, but that won't change the destructive impact of those birds on the city of Venice.

(via @MissExpatria on Twitter)

Steven Pinker Explains the Neuroscience of Swearing (NSFW)I quite like using foul language. I don't feel the need to censor myself generally, because I'm aware enough of what's coming out of my mouth to not swear in front of children or people I don't really know. Having said that, I appreciated the point near the end of this piece that although swearing should probably not be as taboo as it currently is, it should still be used judiciously so as to not lose its powerful impact.

(Rather than watching these videos, I actually read the transcript – but given the text, I can only imagine how great the videos would be.)

(via @brainpicker on Twitter)

How to separate eggs with a plastic bottleOkay, it's not as if separating the yolk from the white is all that difficult in the first place… But this method using a plastic water bottle? It kind of makes you want to bake something just so you can separate eggs, doesn't it?